Greetings family and friends!
The Ferguson’s are excited to share with you our special plans for this summer! At the end of June we both will be camp counselors (aka Big Campers) for Royal Family Kids Camp. As some of you may recall, last year Brian got to be a Big Camper the week before we left for Haiti. This year both of us get the exciting opportunity to do it together!
Why is this special and worth sharing on our site (and taking up your reading time)? This camp is special to us because of who the campers will be. Each year RFKC takes children, ages 6-12, out of the El Paso County foster care system, buses them up to a campground in the mountains, and for 5 days allows these children to be just that, children. While we are so excited to get the chance to hang out with these incredible kids, we also must keep in mind where these kids are coming from. As we went through training we were soberly reminded of the backgrounds of abuse and neglect these children come from. Something special about camp we both love is the birthday party. Many children who attend RFKC either don’t know their actual birth date or have never had it celebrated, so one afternoon all of the kids get to blow out candles, eat cake, open presents, and dress silly as we celebrate the miracle of their lives! Some of the kids may show up with physical signs of abuse, some may retreat at the sight of so many adults, some may inappropriately cling to us as they express “love” in the only way they have been taught. However the child comes to us, our job is to make sure they leave us knowing they are LOVED, they are VALUED, and that it is our JOY to spend time with them. While it is a faith-based camp, our job is not to preach, but to DISPLAY the love of Christ to them.
There are so many stories of redemption and restoration that come from Royal Family. It’s not uncommon for children to come to us as bed wetters (often a sign of physical or sexual abuse) and not wet the bed a singe night of camp! Allowing these kids to be kids and be supremely loved is a task we can’t say no to. And it’s a task we can’t do without YOUR help!
Royal Family seeks to make the camp as accessible as possible for the families sending these children. Part of this accessibility is making the camp free of charge for the families, which means us Big Campers have to raise money to GET OUR KIDS TO CAMP! It costs about $750 for one child to go to camp. Each Big Camper is assigned two Little Campers to be with for the week. This means each Big Camper has to raise support for two Little Campers, a total of $1500. With both of us having two Little Campers we will need to raise $3000 to send all four of our kids to camp! Will you help us?
RFKC is partnered with New Life Church, here in Colorado Springs, and fortunately New Life has made giving a tax-deductible gift super convenient! Here’s how:
1) You can give online. Click on this link http://www.newlifechurch.org/inside.jsp?sid=8 and choose “Give Online”. From there you will prompted to create login information (no charges, it’s simply a way for the church to keep up with who gives). After logging in click “Give Now”. On the new screen that comes up it will ask you to verify where you want your giving to go. Make sure you select “Royal Family Kids” then select either Brian Ferguson or Courtney Ferguson. Once you’ve selected one of our names you can enter the amount you wish to give and submit!
2) Write a check. You can make the check out to New Life Church and in the memo line include “RFKC” and whoever you’re giving for (Brian or Courtney). You can mail the check to New Life Church, 11025 Voyager Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO 80921 OR you can mail it to us and we can deliver it. Our address is 311 Elmwood Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80907.
You play a crucial role in getting our kids to this life-changing week of camp. We NEED your help! We are so grateful for all the support you have shown and the love we feel from you. Thank you for your considerate gift and thank you for taking time to love these children!